


angel cake

by wakuseiloop



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wakuseiloop/pseuds/wakuseiloop
Summary: " Up until then, things are fine, their usual when going anywhere new, discussing and talking about how popular it might be, how cute it is, the taste here or there, if Muku would like to come over sometime- It’s the usual, comfortable atmosphere enveloping Taichi.That is, until this one guy walks out of the service door at the back, and Taichi’s mind short-circuits. "There's a new cakeshop in town, and Taichi finds himself in love at first sight with the chief patissiere.





	angel cake

**Author's Note:**

> for midori//!!  
> thank u to ame for proofreading this and saving me from many dumbass mistakes

The first time Taichi steps into the cozy little bakery by the corner of his school, it’s at the insistence of his childhood friend, who had talked about its cute cakes for weeks on end before they had gotten enough money to afford anything. The place has a nice atmosphere, wooden chairs and tables accompanied by soft music that plays and creates a homey feel. 

The smell of chocolate reaches him as they approach the counter, eyes catching colorful cakes and pastries he doesn't know the name of on display. They look good, he wonders how many they can afford, wonders which of them are popular with the girls lately, or with the guys from the next class over that always seem to be at the top of anything they get their eyes on. 

“Hey, stupid dog? Are you listening?” He looks away from the glass in front of him to turn to Yuki, who’s now holding his wallet in hand as a tired-looking part-timer waits.  
“Yeah? Yeah!” As if answering to himself, he turns to look at the cashier with a smile and points at whatever cake he finds most tasty looking, finds out it has a name he is unable to pronounce, and lets Yuki pay for the both of them. It’s not something that makes him look all that cool, but he doesn’t want to risk losing their money. 

After paying, they go sit down at a small table by the window. It’s comfortable, warmth seeming to seep from everywhere around them, cozy in the weather that’s quickly turning cold. Taichi carefully places their plates on the table, then quickly takes out his phone to snap a few pictures together with Yuki. 

Up until then, things are fine, their usual when going anywhere new, discussing and talking about how popular it might be, how cute it is, the taste here or there, if Muku would like to come over sometime- It’s the usual, comfortable atmosphere enveloping Taichi.

That is, until this one guy walks out of the service door at the back, and Taichi’s mind short-circuits. 

The first thing that grabs his attention is the guy’s face, the scar at the side, the gentle look on his eyes despite his sharp features. He looks well built, at least through his clothes, and Taichi wonders how it’s possible someone so good-looking is so close by. 

Yuki cocks an eyebrow. “Dog?”  
“Yuki-chan....” his eyes switch from the guy to Yuki with ease, but a little too many times. “I think” Yuki blinks.  
“You think?” As in, you think at all, what a shock, Taichi catches that, but he’s a little too busy doubting his heterosexuality at the moment to try to whine back.  
“The- the guy- the-” Taichi’s eyes finally stay on Yuki, the other guy having left back past a service door. Yuki looks at him in amusement, watches as Taichi struggles with words before he drops his head on the table next to a half-finished plate of spongy cake. “Yuki-chaaaaaan” He drags on for too long, and Yuki sighs as he pats him on the head.  
“Yeah, yeah, what is it?” Taichi raises his head quickly, lets himself back on his chair.  
“Maybe I’m not that straight?” Yuki rolls his eyes, hands tapping away at his phone as he laughs at Taichi’s whining. 

The rest of the day is like usual, and they leave with a polite thank you and the idea to come back (because Yuki really likes the place, because Muku might like it as well, and because Taichi’s decided he wants to meet the hot guy from earlier again, by any means necessary). 

\----

The next time they step into the store, they come together with Muku, who marvels at everything and adds to their usual noisy bantering. The cashier looks tired today as well, seems to recognize them from the previous week somehow. This time, they sit at a slightly bigger table, by the front of the store, a speaker by Taichi’s back playing music he can’t quite name. 

“Cashier- uh- Mister-” Awkward way to reach out, but Taichi hadn’t read the nameplate on the guy earlier, or the week before, so this is his best.  
“Ah, yeah, what is it?” The store seems calm at this time of the day, only a few customers coming and going, so Taichi supposes the cashier can spare them some small talk.  
“Who chooses the music?” Yuki and Muku are talking, and Taichi feels a little bad that what would usually be a date for them is now interrupted by his presence, because he’s not that stupid, he knows how to sniff out romance, even if Yuki says he can’t. He feels a little bad, so he stands with a wave and goes bother the cashier who probably doesn’t get paid enough for this.  
“Usually...Fushimi-san? I think” Taichi leans over the counter, curious eyes peering at the staff door at the back, then back at the cashier.  
“Fushimi-san?” Taichi tilts his head to the side.  
“Yeah, he’s our patissiere, and I guess the manager? And the owner…”  
“All that?!” Taichi’s amazed, wonders what sort of superhuman this Fushimi-san is, wonders if maybe he’s the guy he saw earlier, if he can meet him again, just to say hi, maybe, maybe.  
“It’s a small business” the cashier laughs softly, and Taichi looks at him in amazement.  
“That’s, like, amazing?!” a little too loud, and he’s the centre of attention for a second, not in the way he’d like to be, but still welcome. “I think it’s amazing, it’s so cool and you’re sure to be popular with-” He stops for a second when he sees the guy he presumes is Fushimi walk by to the little staff bathroom door Taichi can see, then quickly picks his gay ass back up “girls! and guys! and everyone!” The cashier laughs a little awkwardly, and the other guy approaches with quick steps.

Taichi suddenly feels sheepish, amazing, that's amazing, too, because he thought he had no shame. 

The cashier, whose name is Tsuzuru, something Taichi catches now that his eyes are flying to almost anywhere in the room to not look at, well, his crush-at-first-sight. 

“Ah, Fushimi-san” Tsuzuru speaks up once the other man comes out once again. Fushimi walks towards them, and Taichi feels his face burn a little too much. 

(He also feels Yuki and Muku staring at him in what he feels is that look from Muku, and amusement from Yuki). 

“Um, Nanao-san? here wanted to say thanks for the service” Taichi takes in a sharp breath, thinks about how Tsuzuru-san is, right now, both an angel and a devil, then turns to Fushimi with a smile. “He seems to quite like the fruitcake” Fushimi’s face brightens up then, and Taichi feels like turning around and running right out the door before he catches on fire.

But, he won’t do that, he’s gotta be cool, he’s gotta be the coolest. 

“Is that so?” Oh, yeah, great, look at this, he has the voice of an angel. He seems happy, and Taichi’s heart does a weird thing it very much shouldn’t do.

His heterosexuality is down the drain, didn't Yuki-chan say that last time? He was right, he really was right. 

He looks up at the taller man with a smile, sweaty hands quickly going into his pockets. “Yeah! We came by here last week with Yuki-chan! The place is really nice and everything’s...” he trails off, makes eye contact, smiles wider “really good!” 

Fushimi looks like the happiest man in the world right now, and Taichi feels like he’s about to die from gay. Was it possible for someone to look this cool and happy? 

“Really?” Fushimi seems almost excited from Taichi’s words, and it crosses Taichi’s mind that he must really love this place and his work.  
“Really!” He might sound like an overly excited kid right now, but damn if he’s not going to make the guy smile when he can.  
Fushimi smiles, scratches his face right around his scar, seems embarrassed. “Thank you” a little quiet, quickly masked with a smile and a soft laugh.  
“Yeah” is all Taichi lets out, and the cashier calls Fushimi’s attention before Taichi can embarrass himself. Taichi’s thankful, even if a little sad, but he can’t think of anything else to say.

He heads back to the table with Yuki and Muku with a wave, and Yuki welcomes him with a grin he could spend his whole life without seeing. Muku looks starry eyed and incredibly happy, and Taichi doesn’t even know if it’s because of the date or something else.

“Please tell me you got his name” Yuki’s voice is doing that thing, that sing-song teasing thing that Taichi is used to by now, and Taichi looks away as he shoves some cake in his mouth and nods.  
“He probably has a cool name, maybe he has some secret dark past, like the tragic hero of a-” Muku’s rambling is interrupted by Yuki shoving a spoon at his face, and the pink-haired boy laughs as he grabs it from Yuki’s hand. “Sorry” Yuki shrugs, looks at Muku for a second, then back at Taichi, who’s still shoving cake down his throat.  
“So?” Yuki asks, vague, and Taichi cocks an eyebrow and swallows his cake before replying.  
“So…?”  
“His name” Yuki sounds like he’s about to smack him, and Muku looks excited even as he holds Yuki’s hand to stop him from, well, smacking the hell out of Taichi.  
“Oh” Taichi wipes some crumbs off his face and laughs “I just got his surname, well, I think” He spares a glance at the counter, sees Tsuzuru talking to some customers, notices Omi has already gone back through the back door.

Yuki looks at him in annoyance tinged with curiosity, Muku is just excited, and Taichi finds it cute. He glances back at the counter one more time, and Tsuzuru cocks an eyebrow and waves at him in confusion. Taichi laughs awkwardly, waves back and quickly turns to look at the table. 

“Fushimi” he says it while playing with his cake, and his friends smile.

Taichi wonders if he can talk to him again next time he comes over. 

\---

About a week or two later, with one too many failed attempts at getting Fushimi’s attention by the window or by sitting way too close to the counter, Taichi learns his first name, courtesy of Tsuzuru.

Because he comes over so often—sometimes with Yuki, sometimes with Muku, sometimes with Muku’s cousin he thinks is the coolest—he’s managed to get along well with the cashier. They always greet each other, Taichi having easily slipped into calling him “Tsuzuru-kun”, and Tsuzuru having switched to just “Taichi” after a few awkward laughs.

And because he’s gotten closer to him, Taichi can muster up the courage to ask him for Fushimi’s name, and also how to see him more often, just regular things, he’s curious, wants to thank him for the cakes and tasty sweets, normal stuff.

He’s also gay, but Tsuzuru doesn’t know that, and Taichi’s not going to tell him he has a crush on his boss.

“Say, Tsuzuru-kun” He starts, the shop is quiet at this time, most people still at school or in clubs, Taichi having left early to come sit here by himself, because Yuki and Muku were busy and had a date, and Juza-san was doing this thing or the other. Which was fine, more freedom for him, he guesses. 

“Yeah?” It’s kind of quiet, evidently tired, the voice of too many hours at the counter smiling at strangers.  
“About Fushimi-san” Taichi knows he’s been doing this a lot, but he needs someone to tell him something, and Tsuzuru is his one source of information. 

Tsuzuru laughs a little, and Taichi stops talking to look at him in wonder.

“Again?” It doesn’t sound annoyed, or tired. Sounds more like an older brother who fondly looks at his brother’s antics with amusement in his voice. An older brother who knows too much.

Taichi knows that voice, he uses it, he’s usually the older brother, but now he’s not the older brother, and he’s pretty sure Tsuzuru has a clue about how gay he is.

“I want to get to know him!” a lame excuse, the same excuse he’s used for weeks now, he knows, alright, he knows. Tsuzuru smiles knowingly with a quiet noise of understanding and a nod, and Taichi doesn’t know how to feel about that. “So, like, you know?”  
“I don’t?” Tsuzuru laughs softly after replying, and Taichi finds himself laughing along awkwardly, hands going to play with his own hair before he tries again.  
“His…?” He tries to calm down racing thoughts, say things in an orderly way, not scream in the middle of the store that he wants Fushimi’s name and phone number and work schedule to talk to him because his gay ass is dying by now and, just-  
“You know he’s here right now, right?” Tsuzuru stretches, smile still in place.  
“Well, yes, he works here, he owns this place, like, he should be here, I know, but” He stops, hand about to pull on his own hair because Tsuzuru-kun I know he’s unbelievably close but I don’t know how to talk to him and thus you are my one saviour and- “I can’t just talk to him?”  
“You can”  
“Tsuzuru-kun, I don’t work here” it comes out whiny, but Taichi’s not even trying to hide how desperate he is to get to know the manager, okay, and they weren’t hiring so he couldn’t even try to work here. 

Tsuzuru just laughs, then turns to the door when a customer comes in, and Taichi curses himself for being so messy, for not being able to just ask when he can talk to the guy or what his name is.

There’s a few more customers, and then Tsuzuru turns to him after stifling a yawn. 

“Fushimi Omi-san” He pauses to look at something in his phone, and Taichi looks absolutely confused. “And I have next Tuesday off, so take that chance somehow, he might be outside more often” He smiles at Taichi again, and Taichi wonders if this is what an angel looks like.

For a second, and then it hits him that yes, Tsuzuru completely knows just how gay he is, and his face goes as red as his hair. 

Tsuzuru laughs, and Taichi wonders if his gay crisis is really that funny to an outsider. 

\---  
True to his word, Tsuzuru isn’t there the next Tuesday, the register being taken over by a man slightly taller than Tsuzuru that looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. 

Taichi feels like he’s seen him somewhere before, but he can’t quite place where, so he doesn't think about it. He has other things to think about, like the fact that, yes, Omi is outside more often, looking over the cashier like a worried mother, much to the temporary worker’s dismay. Taichi wonders if they’re friends, maybe Omi had asked him for help, and the guy agreed out of friendship, cause customer service sure wasn’t his passion.

Once Omi stops talking to the other man, Taichi takes his chance and approaches the showcase Omi is behind, and calls out an awkward noise that’s something like ‘Omi-san’ ‘Hey’ and ‘Fushimi-san?’ in one jumbled mess. To his good luck, and relief, Omi turns around to look at him, and Taichi smiles as bright as he can.

“Yes?” Omi looks a little confused, and Taichi has to take a second to pick himself back up before he dies because he’s so cool.

“I! We’ve talked before! I come here a lot and- uh-” Maybe he didn’t quite pick himself back up, man, he was never going to be popular with anyone if he got stuck like this when in front of his crush. 

“We have” Omi smiles softly, one of his hands going to scratch his face in what Taichi has noticed is a little tic of his. “You’re Tsuzuru’s friend, right? He’s not here today, sorry-”  
“Ah, no! It’s fine! I wanted to talk to” smooth, Taichi, smooth “you”  
The cashier chokes a little, and Taichi wonders where he got the courage to say that, because, fuck, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to do that again.  
“Oh, is that so?” Omi seems a little taken aback, but answers even so, smile on his face a little awkward and Taichi can’t tell if what he sees is the ghost of a blush or the ghost of an ‘I want to get out of here’ expression. He’d rather it’s the former, but it might be the latter, most likely, yeah.  
“Yeah!” Taichi pretty much spits it out, mind racing to try to form sentences “Your cakes and stuff? Are really good, so, like, I wanted to talk? To you more! Get to know you! You seem like, cool and, uh” Like last time he complimented him, Omi’s face seems to light up, and the ghost of whatever that was there before turns into a soft blush that makes Taichi die a little.  
“Thank you” He seems a little awkward at receiving compliments, awkward laugh on his lips as he rubs his hands together. 

There’s a small silence then, only broken by the cashier’s cheerful greetings and customers that buy this cake or another.

And then Omi speaks, and Taichi feels like he’s dreaming. 

“I’m kinda free right now” His voice is soft, awkwardness hidden behind a warm smile “I could” He pauses, glances at his phone, then at the poor man stuck as a cashier, then back at Taichi “treat you? Maybe learn your name along the way” Taichi blinks, processes it, then excitedly agrees (if Yuki was here, he’d tell him how much of a dog he is, but he’s not, so he’s free, for now).

Omi seems happier when he agrees than he’s ever seen him, and Taichi feels he’s the same, managing to excitedly carry a conversation about cake and school and about being cool and popular and anything he can think of. Omi follows along, seems happy to hear him talk, seems happy when Taichi eats whatever it is they got in front of them.

By the end of their time together, when Omi has to get back to work, and the not-Tsuzuru guy looks like he wants to leave, Taichi’s managed to secure a second get-together, along with Omi’s phone number.

He’s also managed to start calling him Omi-kun, and has heard his name from Omi’s lips enough times to last him a lifetime, while at the same time not enough.

\---

The next time they meet up is not inside the bakery-cafe, but instead right outside of it, on a Saturday when Omi decides to close early. Tsuzuru looks relieved to have an early day, makes sure to pat Taichi’s head when passing by him. Taichi thinks he hears him whisper a good luck as he waves goodbye, but he’s not sure, and then all his attention is on Omi.

They meet up without a plan, really, so they spend most of their time together walking around the place, stopping at a park when Taichi complains about his feet hurting. They sit down at a bench, and Taichi lets his mouth run. 

“People at school are so cool? I’m not really good at talking to them, because I’m like, not as cool? And Yuki-chan’s always telling me like ‘you stupid dog, it’s because of this or or that’ and I even dyed my hair, I don’t know what to do, how do you get popular” He’s rambling, nonstop, about things that Omi probably doesn’t care much about, but Omi listens to him even so, patting his head at times when he starts whining too loudly. 

It’s comfortable, it’s nice, and Taichi can’t help but feel that his crush-at-first-sight is just growing stronger. Omi is way too kind and listens to anything he says, fills him with warmth and makes him feel happy. 

When it’s already dark outside, Omi offers to take him home, and Taichi’s head spins with happiness.

\---

They continue meeting up, sometimes at the bakery, sometimes to watch a film, go to the theatre when Omi’s friend is on something new. Taichi feels happy this way, his own lack of confidence stopping him from thinking about confessions or anything of the sort. Omi seems happy too, always making sure to drop Taichi off at home and treating him to something sweet.

It’s been a few months of this, and Taichi’s waiting for Omi at the cafe like usual when Tsuzuru approaches him, looking even more tired than usual. Taichi greets him with a smile, and Tsuzuru lets out a sigh as he smiles back.

“Won’t you make a move?” Taichi feels the air leave his lungs, looks at Tsuzuru while he tries to word exactly how he feels right now in a way that’s not just ‘Tsuzuru-kun, what the fuck’.  
“What?” Tsuzuru sighs in what might be exasperation, then sits down on the chair next to Taichi.  
“Date? Something? It’s been a while of-” He seems to stop himself, as if he was about to say something he shouldn’t have, then sighs and holds Taichi’s shoulders. “Just do something”

Neither says anything else, mostly because Tsuzuru seems tired and Taichi can’t think of what to say, and then Omi comes out, and Taichi bolts to his side. 

\---

It’s a day they’re meeting up inside the bakery, Omi taking a break from whatever people do inside the kitchen to chat and treat Taichi to something he’s proud of that day. Tsuzuru’s talking to customers, his usual, Yuki-chan’s a few tables next to Taichi, death glare evident on the nape of his neck, also his usual.

It’s not like something today made him feel particularly courageous, but he somehow brings himself to say what he’d been holding in for a while. 

“I think” He starts, leaves the tiny fork he’s eating with on his plate. Omi looks at him, patient, waiting for him to keep going, and Taichi feels his heart flutter a little too much. “I really like you?” 

Surprisingly, even if he has no self-confidence, it’s not hard to say, feels like Omi will accept it even so, won’t throw him away even if the feelings aren’t reciprocated, they probably aren’t, but Taichi had to say it, had to say something before both Tsuzuru and Yuki ended his life with their glances and looks that said ‘I know what you want to say, so say it’, and before he himself burst with too many words and feelings he refused to show.

At first, Omi doesn't reply, and Taichi feels almost scared to look up, head a complete mess as he tries to remember how to talk about anything else and how to breathe-

And then, before Taichi can start to laugh or talk awkwardly, he hears Omi laugh a little, can feel the smile on his voice. Taichi looks up, and Omi’s almost blinding. For a second, he forgets that Yuki is watching his every moment and judging him, forgets they’re in a public place, forgets he’s even alive at this moment because he’s too busy being gay and looking at Omi’s beautiful, breathtaking smile that’s just for him that in no way speaks rejection.

Omi would never speak rejection in any way, would he?

Omi lets out a quiet noise, then brings a hand to run through Taichi’s hair.

“Me too” Spoken with a smile, and Taichi feels himself get grounded by those words, corners of his eyes burning slightly with way too much happiness all in one go.

It’s not cool to cry in public, it’s not cool to cry in front of your crush, not when you just confessed, but damn, Taichi’s tearing up, because this is too much, he is too happy, and the world seems to have paused for a second as he tries to get himself back together enough to say something and not just cry while looking dumbfounded. 

Omi’s still softly patting his head, and Taichi finds himself thankful for physical contact that keeps him still on Earth. His phone buzzes in his pocket, but he ignores it to reach out and grab Omi’s hand on his head with a smile, even if he’s still crying and probably looks the further from cool he’s ever looked. 

He notices, once his eyes clear up, that Omi’s blushing, even if he seemed calm. The hand Taichi’s now awkwardly holding is shaking slightly, and Taichi feels that it somehow makes the moment more precious, because he’s not the only one falling apart right now, and even someone cool like Omi can look like this, and he feels himself fall in love all over again. 

Taichi’s phone buzzes again, and he sighs, hand he’s holding Omi’s with having fallen to the table at some point, fingers almost intertwining. He grabs his phone with an awkward tearful smile and checks his messages.

There’s one, from Yuki.

All it says is just “took you long enough i was dying over here” and Taichi bursts out laughing. Omi looks at him with curiosity, and Taichi doesn’t know what to reply, so he just holds his hand closer and puts his phone away.


End file.
